Swim with turtles on Reef Express

Drift along ocean currents on the Great Barrier Reef, unique to Reef Express! Fast, exciting, fun trip to the reef edge, drift snorkel amazing coral wall edges and drop-offs, floating along ocean currents with snorkel guides to show you the way.

More about Marine turtlesMarine turtles are often called the ancient mariners of the sea. They have been swimming in the sea for more than 150 million years, first appearing during the age of the dinosaurs.

Turtles have changed little over the millennia, now only coming ashore to lay eggs, producing another generation to swim the seas. Much of the information known about marine turtles in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area comes from research conducted over the past 30 years by the Queensland Turtle Conservation project of the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection and from the local knowledge of Indigenous people and fishers.

Marine turtle speciesSix of the world’s seven species of marine turtle live in the waters around Australia, and all occur within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Some species such as the loggerhead and green turtle are seen frequently, while others such as the olive ridley and leatherback are known to occur in the Great Barrier Reef but are seldom seen.